TASTING NOTE: “The 2019 Chardonnay Savoy is absolutely gorgeous. In this vintage, the balance seems more driven by brightness and acids than by the open-knit textures that are often found at in this Anderson Valley site. Dried flowers, chamomile, mint and lemon peel linger.” 92 POINTS - ANTONIO GALLONI, VINOUS
ABOUT THE WINE: The Savoy Vineyard in the Anderson Valley, Mendocino County, has established a firm reputation for producing some of the north coast’s most exceptional cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The 18-hectare, southwest-facing site lies 120 kilometres northwest of the Radio-Coteau estate. Sussman has a per-acre contract and pays a premium for his fruit, so he may retain control over how those acres are managed viticulturally. Low yields, green harvesting and organic farming are a few of Sussman’s requirements. Like the rest of the Anderson Valley, Savoy enjoys a very pronounced diurnal range—night-time drops in temperature can be as much as 25 degrees Celsius—which brings the signature tension of Anderson Valley alongside flavour ripeness in both the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. While a who’s-who of the Sonoma wine scene source Pinot Noir from this vineyard, there are just over two hectares planted to Chardonnay, going only to Fel Wines and Radio-Coteau. Sussman works with two Chardonnay clones within the Savoy site; the Wente clone vines (70%) have small clusters and berries and quite a mineral profile, while the Prosser clone (30%) lends a more tropical fruit profile to the blend. The fruit was picked in late August and was whole-bunch pressed into barrel for wild fermentation. It went through full malo and enjoyed a 17-month élevage on lees with no bâtonnage in 20% new, lightly toasted, tightly-grained French oak. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER: In the 20 years since its foundation, Radio-Coteau has developed a cult-like following among the cognoscenti of The New California. Eric Sussman, winegrower and proprietor at Radio-Coteau, lives by the tenet, “the best fertiliser is the farmer’s shadow”. With his small team he makes some of California’s most exciting, nuanced and fresh cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, from a range of coastal-influenced vineyards in Western Sonoma County and the Anderson Valley. Sussman has led a storied career spanning four decades and two continents. A New York native, he studied Viticulture and Agricultural Science at Cornell University, focusing on organic viticulture. Two formative years in France followed, apprenticing at Comte Armand and Jacques Prieur in Burgundy and Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux. Sussman credits these seasons in France with solidifying his interest in crafting wines that speak of place, and the use of organic and biodynamic farming and low-intervention winemaking. He returned to the States in 1997, working at Bonny Doon and Dehlinger before starting Radio-Coteau in 2002, with a name that loosely translates to ‘broadcasting from the hillsides’, or more colloquially as ‘word of mouth’, a phrase that stuck with Sussman since his time in France. For 10 years, Sussman sought fruit from the great north coast vineyards of Western Sonoma County and Anderson Valley. In 2012, the opportunity arose to purchase one of his source vineyards. Practically within sniffing distance of the famed Heintz Vineyard and bordering the Russian River Valley, the 17-hectare Radio-Coteau site is located on a ridge at 240 metres elevation above the town of Occidental, just 13 kilometres from the coast. The property is home to a diverse agrarian platform; alongside the nine hectares under vine (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Riesling and Zinfandel), there are cover-crops, owl boxes, raptor perches and bee hives. Both organic and biodynamic practices are used, and the vineyard has been Demeter certified since 2018. The soils are fine sandy Goldridge loams, which provide excellent drainage and moderate fertility. The roots extend deep into the subsoil, facilitating dry farming. Proximity to the ocean and the moderating influence of rolling fogs provide a cool coastal climate and long, even ripening periods. In addition to the estate vines, Sussman also sources fruit from the Heintz Vineyard, described by Robert Parker as “one of the greatest Grand Cru sites for Chardonnay in California”. To the north, the Savoy Vineyard is another site of high regard, located in the Anderson Valley AVA in Mendocino. From this site, Eric Sussman has made a single vineyard Pinot Noir since Radio-Coteau’s genesis in 2002 and a Chardonnay since 2005 (one of only two producers to do so). Compared to the more moderate conditions on the Sonoma Coast, the Anderson Valley experiences very pronounced diurnal shifts, often with temperature variances of 20 degrees or more, resulting in a signature tension in the wines. Both sites are managed organically. With all the hard work put into the vineyards, Sussman aims to do as little as possible in the winery, again emphasising his “old-world technique with new-world fruit” approach. Fruit is usually picked at about 13 to 14% potential alcohol, all fermentations are native, there are no additions save for small amounts of sulphur. All Pinot Noir wines are free-run only, and the whites get only the lightest of pressings. Élevage is long and slow, use of new oak is minimal, and all wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
COUNTRY: USA
REGION: Anderson Valley, California
VARIETAL: Chardonnay
WINE STYLE: White Wine
WINEMAKER: Eric Sussman
CLASSIFICATION: Minimal Intervention, Unfined & Unfiltered, Organic Farming, Vegan
CLOSURE: Cork
ABV%: 13.4%
SIZE: 750ml

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